Remarks by the Vice President at An Event for Congressman Jon Porter
The Bellagio Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada

12:25 P.M. PST

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all, very
much. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all
very much. And, John, thank you very much for that kind introduction.

Most people don't realize that my only real job is as the President
of the Senate. When they wrote the Constitution, they created the post
of Vice President, and then they got down to the end of the
Constitutional Convention and realized that they hadn't given anything
to do. (Laughter.) So at the least minute they cobbled together this
job called the President of the Senate, and made it possible for the
Vice President to actually be called the President of the Senate -- I
actually get paid by the Senate; that's where my paycheck comes from --
to preside as the presiding officer of the Senate, cast tie-breaking
votes when the Senate is deadlocked.

And my predecessor, John Adams, our first Vice President also had
floor privileges. He could go down into the well of the Senate and
engage in the debate of the day, and actually participate in the
exciting debate on the major issues of the day in the Senate, itself.
And then he did a couple of times, and they withdrew his floor
privileges. (Laughter.) And they've never been reinstated. So I'm
not allowed to say anything in the Senate, but I get to preside, and
wield the gavel, and cast that tie-breaking vote. But I want to tell
you how valuable it is to have John Ensign in the United States
Senate. (Applause.)

I served as the congressman from Wyoming for 10 years. We are
little smaller in population terms than Nevada. We don't like to be
reminded of that, but it's true. We only had one member in the House
delegation. It's a small delegation, but it was quality. (Laughter.)

But you always appreciated, when you came from one of those big
western states with just a few people, the caliber of your colleagues.
And John certainly lived up, in terms of the job he does for the people
of Nevada and the people for the entire country. So I'm delighted to
call him colleague and to share that experience with him, as well,
too.

I'm delighted to be back here in Nevada today. And of course,
we're all sorry that Congressman Porter couldn't be here with us. I
think John's explained the circumstances, and we all certainly
understand. That's why Flore (ph). We're glad to hear that Jon is on
the mend, and he will be back going full throttle in the very near
future.

We're all here specifically for one reason, and that's to make
absolutely certain that Jon Porter gets reelected to the United States
House of Representatives come November. (Applause.)

Now, the President asked me to bring personal regards to all of you
from him today, our commander-in-chief, President George W. Bush. And
I'm proud to do that. And of course, we were proud to carry Nevada the
last time around, and we look forward to doing it again in 2004.

John pointed that the President, when he picked me to be his
running mate, wasn't worried about carrying Wyoming. He got 69 percent
of the vote there. And I remind him, though, from time to time, those
three electoral votes came in pretty darned handy. (Laughter.) I like
to think of it as a bold, brilliant political move. (Laughter.) But
these mountain West states, obviously, while they only have a few
electoral votes, an election like 2000, these are the states that made
all the difference. If we hadn't carried Nevada, we wouldn't be there
today.

And in 2004, of course, you're going to have an extra electoral
vote now since reapportionment. And we expect that the five electoral
votes from Nevada will be part of a great nationwide victory for the
Bush-Cheney ticket come November. (Applause.)

It's my honor to be here today to support Jon Porter's reelection,
third district from Nevada. This is, of course, one of the very newest
congressional districts in the nation. The voters in Clark County sent
Jon to the nation's capital a little over a year ago, and you made an
excellent choice. With his background in small business and city
government, and in the state senate, Jon came to Congress with a great
supply of experience and common sense. He's become a respected member
of the committees on education in the work force, and on transportation
and infrastructure. And both in committee and on the floor, Jon has
won the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

I can tell you the President and I enjoy very much working with
Jon. He follows the fine Nevada tradition of public service, a
tradition established by people like Paul Laxalt, and John Ensign, and
Jim Gibbons. And we're counting on Nevada to send him back to the
United States Congress next year.

With the duties the President and I have, it matters a great deal
for us to have good allies on Capitol Hill. Five days from today, the
20th of January, marks the third anniversary of the day that George W.
Bush and I were sworn in as the 43rd President and the 46th Vice
President of the United States. On that day no one could have
predicted all that lay immediately ahead of us.

President Bush and I took office with a clear understanding of our
responsibilities. The President was determined to solve problems,
instead of simply passing them on to future generations. He was
determined to seize new opportunities for reform, and not to let old
debates get in the way of progress.

Today, as we look ahead to the election of 2004, we have a record
of accomplishment, I believe, to show for our efforts. I think the
American people can be confident of a better future, a stronger
economy, and greater security against the dangers of this new era
because of the character and the leadership of President, George W.
Bush. (Applause.)

In the weeks and months following September 11th, people in every
part of the country, regardless of party, took comfort and pride in the
character and the conduct of our President. From that day to this, he
has led a steady, focused, and relentless campaign against the enemies
who struck America that morning and killed some 3,000 of our fellow
citizens.

As we stand here today, many of al Qaeda's known leaders have been
captured or killed. Those still at large are living in fear -- and
their fears are well founded, because we are on their trail. In
Afghanistan, the Taliban regime brutalized an entire population and
harbored al Qaeda -- and that regime is no more. In Iraq, a ruthless
dictator cultivated weapons of mass destruction and the means to
deliver them. He gave support to terrorists, and defied the demands of
the civilized world -- and that regime is no more. (Applause.)

At the beginning of 2003, just a year ago, Saddam Hussein
controlled the lives of 25 million people. Today, a year later, he's
in jail in Baghdad, and he will never again threaten the people of
Iraq, or the people of the United States. (Applause.)

Freedom still has enemies in Iraq. Terrorists who are targeting
the very success and the freedom that we're providing to that country.
But terror attacks on innocent civilians will not intimidate Americans,
and they will not intimidate the Iraqi people. With good allies at our
side, we're helping the Iraqis build a free country, which will make
all of us more secure. We're standing with the Iraqi people as they
assume more responsibility for their own security, and as they move
toward self-government. These are not easy tasks, but they are
absolutely essential. As the President has said many times, and no one
should doubt, "We will finish what we have begun, and we will win this
essential victory in the war on terror."

We're working hard to oppose weapons proliferation around the
world. And last month, after talks with America and Britain, the
leader of Libya voluntarily committed to disclose and dismantle all of
his weapons of mass destruction programs. Leaders around the world are
learning that weapons of mass destruction do not bring influence or
prestige or security, they only invite isolation, and carry other
costs. Leaders who abandon the pursuit of those weapons will find an
open path to better relations with the United States of America. I am
absolutely confident that the steps taken by Moammar Ghadafi in Libya,
which began with contact he made with the United States and Britain
about the time that we launched our forces into Iraq last spring,
culiminating in the announcement five days after we arrested Saddam
Hussein a couple of weeks ago, are a direct result of the wisdom and
the polices of the President of the United States, and his willingness
to do exactly what he said he would do, his willingness to take

America is a nation that is always ready to work and sacrifice for
peace. The use of force is the last resort for this country. And in
all that they have done and continue to do, the men and women who wear
this nation's uniform have performed with incredible skill and
courage. (Applause.)

In all, the active duty service members from here, and across
America, along with many Guard and Reserve personnel have faced hard
duty, long absences from home and the loss of comrades, they are
confronting danger every day to protect all of us. And they are
earning the trust of the people they've liberated.

As most of you know, I had the honor of serving as Secretary of
Defense under former President Bush. I was grateful every day for the
opportunity to associate with the people of our armed forces. I feel
the same way about them now. They reflect extraordinary credit on the
United States of America. And our entire nation is proud of each and
every one of them. (Applause.)

The long-term security of our nation, and of our friends and
allies, has been a principal concern of President Bush's
administration. And so has the economic well-being of our citizens.
By the time we took office, the economy was sliding into recession, and
to get it growing again, we've delivered significant tax relief for the
American people. We're leaving more money in the hands that earned
it. Because when Americans have more take-home pay, they have more to
spend, more to save and more to invest.

We've reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains to encourage
investment. We've given small businesses incentives to expand and to
hire more people. And now we're seeing the results of the hard work of
the American people and the sound policies of this administration.

The figures for the third quarter show that the economy grew at an
annual rate of 8.2 percent -- the fastest pace in nearly 20 years.
(Applause.) Business investment, manufacturing and housing
construction are all on the rise, and our economy has added over a
quarter of a million new jobs over the last five months alone. The
Bush tax cuts are working.

As you know, there are a few voices in the land who want to roll
back the Bush tax cuts. Sometimes I hear these voices at night on the
evening news, often times from Iowa and other states. (Laughter.)
Not to knock the folks in Iowa, it's not their fault those candidates
are advocating increasing taxes. But, in fact, the Bush tax cuts were
exactly what this economy needed, and they've now set us on the path
towards long-term growth and job creation. And we're going to stay on
that path because the President is absolutely determined that we'll do
everything we can as long as any person out there wants to work.

America must also confront another basic fact, that some of the
jobs being generated in our economy are not being filled by American
citizens. Under current law, the only practical way to attract many of
those workers is through a massive undocumented economy. To address
the problem, President Bush is proposing a new temporary worker program
that matches willing foreign workers with willing American employers
when no American citizens can be found to fill those jobs.

In addition, we would offer legal status to temporary workers in
the country provided they are employed. The President's proposal is
good for the economy because it would allow needed workers to come into
the country under an honest, orderly, regulated system. The proposal
is humane because it would lift millions of hard-working people out of
the shadows of American life.

And the proposal would help us protect the homeland. We now have
millions of people in the country, we don't know when they came in, we
don't know what they're doing while they're here, we don't know when
they leave. Law enforcement, under this system, would face fewer
problems with undocumented workers and be better able to focus on the
true threats to our nation.

On issue after issue, from national security to economic growth and
trade, to improving public schools, President Bush has led the way in
making progress for the American people.

All of us in this administration -- and members of Congress, such
as Senator Ensign and Congressman Porter, recognize that our job is not
to rest on a strong record, but rather to keep adding to that record.
Abroad, the fundamental interest of this nation requires that we oppose
threats to our freedom and security wherever they gather. Yet,
overcoming threats is only the beginning of America's
responsibilities.

In the Greater Middle East, we are encouraging free markets,
democracy, and tolerance -- because these are the ideas and aspirations
that overcome violence, and turn societies to the pursuits of peace.
In that region and beyond, all who strive and sacrifice for the cause
of freedom will have a friend in the United States of America.

Here at home, we have a full agenda and a tremendous record of
achievement, as well. President Bush has now signed into law the
Prescription Drug and Medicare Improvement Act of 2003 which modernizes
the program and gives seniors the prescription drug coverage they
need. After many years of inaction in Washington, we've delivered the
greatest advance in healthcare coverage for America's seniors since the
founding of Medicare.

Going forward, we must also improve our healthcare system through
liability reform. In Nevada, and all across America, doctors should be
able to spend their time treating patients, not fighting off frivolous
lawsuits. (Applause.)

In Washington, D.C., it's also time for the United States Senate to
get on with the business of confirming the President's judicial
nominees. (Applause.) The President has a responsibility to make
certain that the judicial system runs well, and he's met that duty.
He's put forward superb nominees to serve on the federal bench --
talented, experienced men and women who represent the mainstream of
American law and American values. Yet, some of these nominees have
been denied up-or-down votes for months and even years. Senate
Democrats have taken to waging filibusters against certain nominees who
don't meet their litmus test. This means that even though these
nominees may have a majority of senators supporting them, they cannot
get confirmed unless they get a super majority of 60 votes. That's
unfair to the nominees, and it's a fundamental abuse to the
constitutional process. Every nominee deserves a prompt up-or-down
vote on the Senate floor. That's why we need more Republicans
alongside John Ensign i

The campaign season is on its way, and President Bush and I will be
proud to present our record to voters not only here in Nevada, but all
across the country. We'll run hard and take nothing for granted. And
we will continue making good use of every day we have the honor of
serving the American people.

Long before I took my current job, I had the honor and the good
fortune to work with other Presidents I greatly admire. As a White
House staffer in the aftermath of Watergate, I saw Gerald Ford restore
confidence in government by the sheer decency and force of his
character. As a congressman during the decisive years of the Cold War,
I saw the conviction and the moral courage of Ronald Reagan. And as a
member of the Cabinet under former President Bush, I saw the ideal of
public service in its purest form and came to know a leader of honor
and integrity.

Along the way, I learned a few things about the presidency, and the
kind of person it takes to do that job well. It takes the finest
qualities of character: conviction, personal integrity, good judgment,
compassion, and courage in times of testing for the nation. And,
ladies and gentlemen, that's exactly the kind of man we have in the
White House today. (Applause.)

I count it a privilege to serve with President Bush because I
believe he's united our nation behind great goals. And he's brought
honor and integrity to the White House. Once again, we want to thank
all of you for your commitment to the cause we all serve, and for
supporting fine members of Congress, like Congressman Jon Porter. We
are deeply grateful to our many friends all across Nevada and for your
support for superb leaders like Jon Porter.

With your help, we'll have a great victory for the Republican
ticket come November 2nd. Thank you very much. (Applause.)